Google Taps AI to Help Android Devs Write Code, App Descriptions

Is that app worth downloading? To help developers who may need assistance coming up with compelling Google Play app descriptions, Google is introducing an AI-powered function that will write the copy for them.

The technology can essentially fill out the descriptions required for an app store listing, and come up with custom text intended to help market the app to interested consumers. 

“This is an experimental feature to help you draft content with less effort,” Google tells developers. “Just open our AI helper, enter a couple of prompts like audience and key theme, and it will generate a draft you can edit, discard, or use.”

(Credit: Google)

The feature is meant to be writing aid, and isn’t intended to replace a human writer. But it’s part of Google’s effort to use ChatGPT-like technologies to help third-party developers streamline their product development.

For consumers, Google is also tapping AI algorithms to break down user reviews for an app on Google Play Store into easy-to-read snippets

(Google)

“To help users learn from each other about what makes your app or game special at a glance, we’re launching review summaries powered by Google’s generative AI technology. Starting with an experiment in English, and expanding later this year,” the company added.

Android Studio Bot

At Google I/O, the company announced several other AI-powered features designed to lend a hand to developers. This includes the introduction of Android Studio Bot, which can generate computer code to help create a mobile app.

Android Studio Bot
(Credit: Google)

The bot will arrive as a feature for Android Studio, an official development environment for the OS. Users will be able to ask the bot to learn about Android development and for help on fixing errors in their existing code. 

“Studio Bot is in its very early days, and we’re training it to become even better at answering your questions and helping you learn best practices,” the company added. “We encourage you to try it out for yourselves, and help it improve by sharing your feedback directly with Studio Bot.”

Studio Bot will first be available for Android developers in the US. However, programmers will likely be worried about submitting sensitive code to an AI program over fears Google could reuse the shared data, and land them in hot water with their employers.

For now, Google has only said: “Privacy is top of mind, and what is unique in this integration is that you don’t need to send your source code to Google to use Studio Bot—only the chat dialogue between you and Studio bot is shared.”